Virtual Asian Heritage Month Festival 2021

Sunday May 16, 2021 | 2 PM EDT

From Realism to Artistic Impression: A Virtual Group Photo Exhibition by Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto Members for 2021 AHM Festival
Opening Remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI

FREE ADMISSION: Please register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/from-realism-to-artistic-impression-a-virtual-ccpst-group-photo-exhibition-tickets-153567172547
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86919986892?pwd=MnhlRHFMSjV5L2ExUVBkSzk4WEN6QT09
Meeting ID: 869 1998 6892
Passcode: 553617
Event Poster with bios
Video of the Virtual Photography Exhibition

Presented by:
Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto, established in 1976, is a non profit organization with 130 current members. Our mission is to explore the art of photography as our expression to support multiculturalism. Our members participate in professional activities and events to make their contributions to society.

About this Group Exhibition:
The group exhibition showcases 54 members’ photos selected from various club competitions in the past 10 years. The virtual group exhibition is divided into 4 parts. Part 1-3, present photographic realism (wild life and street photography) and artistic impression (special artistic effect photography and night scene photography). Part 4 entitled Kensington Market , playing seamlessly as an engaging video, in fact, were photos contributed by a group of photographers. Digitally edited to infuse passion, rhythm and music into the still photos to transform Toronto’s old landmark location for immigrants into a lively colourful community for all in the 21st century.
The virtual presentation also includes photographers briefly sharing their creative vision and key techniques used in the award-winning photos. There will be two Q&A for the audience to participate.
©2021 belongs to individual artists

Co-Organizers: Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto; Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; York University; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists' Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society; Fête Chinoise
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

Monday May 17, 2021 | 7 PM EDT

Asian Heritage Month Events at Toronto Public Library:
"In My View: Resilience, Art and Migration"
Moderator Jasmine Chen with panelists: Writer/Director/Musician Romeo Candido, Choreographer/OAYSIS Studios Founder Ming-Bo Lam, and Artistic Leader/Theatre Artist Miriam Fernandes Opening Remarks:
Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI
Mr. Gregory McCormick, Toronto Public Library

FREE ADMISSION: Please register on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/asian-canadian-resilience-and-entrepreneurship-at-toronto-public-library-tickets-153813060003
Please access event here: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/tplfourartists/register
Event Poster with bios
Watch replay

In this lively one hour event, a panel of celebrated cultural leaders and award winning artists come together to discuss how they've navigated and succeeded in the world of performing arts. Moderator Jasmine Chen will be asking Writer/Director/Musician Romeo Candido, Choreographer/OAYSIS Studios Founder Ming-Bo Lam, and Artistic Leader/Theatre Artist Miriam Fernandes about their journeys in building their own platforms and amplifying the voices of their communities. They will share their insights and experiences in how resilience has enabled them to adapt, particularly during the pandemic, which has threatened the survival of the performing arts industry.

Panelists: Ming-Bo Lam is known, first and foremost, for her love of dance and ability to share that passion with all whom she encounters. Her choreography is rooted in her classical foundations and guided by strong internal dialogue and emotional undertones. Lam graduated with an Honours BFA in Theatre Performance Dance, from Ryerson University, as Valedictorian. Since graduating, she has crossed the line between classical dance genres and the commercial industry, choreographing for theatre productions (SeXT: Sex Education by Theatre; Mixie and the Halfbreeds, produced by fu-GEN Theatre Company) and independent dance projects and commissions. Select performance credits include the Much Music Video Awards, the Toronto Raptors’ Dance Pak, The Umbrella Academy, Sogand, PSY, and the NBA All Star Weekend 2016. Currently, Lam works as a freelance dancer, choreographer, adjudicator, and educator. She is also the co-founder of OAYSIS Studios: holistic movement lifestyle, offering online classes in dance, yoga, fitness, and mindful movement.

Miriam Fernandes is a Toronto-based artist who has worked as an actor, director, and theatre-maker around the world. She is the co-Artistic Director of Why Not Theatre. Acting credits include Jungle Book (WYRD/Kidoons), Animal Farm (Soulpepper Theatre), Prince Hamlet (Why Not Theatre), Dinner with the Gods (Wolf and Wallflower, Sydney AU), The Snow Queen and A Sunday Affair (Theatre New Brunswick), The Living (Summerworks Performance Festival), and Soliciting Temptation (Tarragon Theatre). She has trained with the SITI Company, and is a graduate of Ecole Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. Directing and creation credits include Nesen, (MiniMidiMaxi Festival, Norway) The First Time I Saw the Sea (YVA Company, Norway). She is currently in development for a few new pieces that she is co-creating including an adaptation of the Mahabharata, Three Pigs, and a new play called Partition. Miriam is the recipient of the JBC Watkins Award and was nominated for the inaugural Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize.

Romeo Candido is a dynamic multi-disciplinary Filipino Canadian award winning story teller with experience in narrative and factual storytelling for film, television, advertising, theatre and digital platforms. His horror film ANG PAMANA : THE INHERITANCE played in theatres across the Philippines and won Best Feature at the Winnipeg International Film Festival. His award winning transmedia project PRISON DANCER: THE MUSICAL, based on the Dancing Inmates of Cebu, is the recipient of the National Creation Fund and is being developed as a stage musical with the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton. Romeo is the winner of the Bell Media / WGC diverse screenwriter program and was invited to be a story coordinator for season two of KIM’S CONVENIENCE. Romeo made his Netflix debut as a writer for both seasons of the sci fi thriller ANOTHER LIFE. He made his comedy television directing debut as the series director of the CSA nominated comedy SECOND JEN. His musical comedy drama TOPLINE is currently in pre-production and slated to shoot in the spring with Shaftesbury for CBC. A proud member of the Filipino Canadian community, Romeo has been instrumental in bringing to light the Filipino experience either as the Senior Producer of CBC Arts or his over twenty years of mentoring, collaborating, and documenting his community.

Jasmine Chen is a second-generation Chinese immigrant artist based in T’karonto (Dish with One Spoon Territory) and the unceded Coast Salish Territories (colonially known as Vancouver). Her work has engaged with communities across Turtle Island, including The Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, The Arts Club, Prairie Theatre Exchange, fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, 4th Line Theatre, Cahoots Theatre, and Canadian Stage. At the core of her work is her dedication to community building, storytelling, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Her interest in multilingual creation, audience interactivity, social justice, and diasporic narratives often drive her artistic practice. Jasmine is a performer, director, arts educator, producer, writer, and creator. She is a recipient of the Gina Wilkinson Award, Stratford Festival Jean Gascon Award, the Toronto Harold Award, and is a Dora Award nominee. Her work has been featured in CBC Arts, NOW Magazine, Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun, Intermission Magazine, and Fete Chinoise Magazine. Jasmine is the Artistic and Community Producer at Gateway Theatre in Richmond, BC.

Co-Organizers: Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; York University; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists' Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society; Fête Chinoise
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

Tuesday May 18, 2021 | 9:30 AM EDT
Asian Heritage Month Education Roundtable at Toronto Catholic District School Board
To be held on Toronto Catholic District School Board Zoom Platform
FREE ADMISSION: Registrations for Schools only
Event Poster with bios

Opening Remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI

i) “Arts and Artificial Intelligence in TCDSB” led by Vicki McRae and Jodelyn Huang
We will feature the “Arts and Artificial Intelligence” project funded by Canadian Heritage CSMARI Project Grant. This is a project collaborating with TCDSB, TDSB, York University and IBM, spanning right across the pandemic, and miraculously became very useful as schools went virtual. It is raising awareness through identifying the cultural messages behind colours using a custom-made IBM visual colour recognition app (doing Asian Canadian, Indigenous and Black communities), and asking students to paint with this newly acquired cultural awareness.

ii) "Asian Canadian Resilience and Entrepreneurship"
A panel of celebrated cultural leaders and award winning artists come together to discuss how they've navigated and succeeded in the world of performing arts. Moderator Miquelon Rodriguez will be asking Writer/Director/Musician Romeo Candido, Choreographer/OAYSIS Studios Founder Ming-Bo Lam, and Artistic Leader/Theatre Artist Miriam Fernandes about their journeys in building their own platforms and amplifying the voices of their communities. They will share their insights and experiences in how resilience has enabled them to adapt, particularly during the pandemic, which has threatened the survival of the performing arts industry.

Miriam Fernandes is a Toronto-based artist who has worked as an actor, director, and theatre-maker around the world. She is the co-Artistic Director of Why Not Theatre. Acting credits include Jungle Book (WYRD/Kidoons), Animal Farm (Soulpepper Theatre), Prince Hamlet (Why Not Theatre), Dinner with the Gods (Wolf and Wallflower, Sydney AU), The Snow Queen and A Sunday Affair (Theatre New Brunswick), The Living (Summerworks Performance Festival), and Soliciting Temptation (Tarragon Theatre). She has trained with the SITI Company, and is a graduate of Ecole Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. Directing and creation credits include Nesen, (MiniMidiMaxi Festival, Norway) The First Time I Saw the Sea (YVA Company, Norway). She is currently in development for a few new pieces that she is co-creating including an adaptation of the Mahabharata, Three Pigs, and a new play called Partition. Miriam is the recipient of the JBC Watkins Award and was nominated for the inaugural Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize.

Romeo Candido is a dynamic multi-disciplinary Filipino Canadian award winning story teller with experience in narrative and factual storytelling for film, television, advertising, theatre and digital platforms. His horror film ANG PAMANA : THE INHERITANCE played in theatres across the Philippines and won Best Feature at the Winnipeg International Film Festival. His award winning transmedia project PRISON DANCER: THE MUSICAL, based on the Dancing Inmates of Cebu, is the recipient of the National Creation Fund and is being developed as a stage musical with the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton. Romeo is the winner of the Bell Media / WGC diverse screenwriter program and was invited to be a story coordinator for season two of KIM’S CONVENIENCE. Romeo made his Netflix debut as a writer for both seasons of the sci fi thriller ANOTHER LIFE. He made his comedy television directing debut as the series director of the CSA nominated comedy SECOND JEN. His musical comedy drama TOPLINE is currently in pre-production and slated to shoot in the spring with Shaftesbury for CBC. A proud member of the Filipino Canadian community, Romeo has been instrumental in bringing to light the Filipino experience either as the Senior Producer of CBC Arts or his over twenty years of mentoring, collaborating, and documenting his community.

Ming-Bo Lam is known, first and foremost, for her love of dance and ability to share that passion with all whom she encounters. Her choreography is rooted in her classical foundations and guided by strong internal dialogue and emotional undertones. Lam graduated with an Honours BFA in Theatre Performance Dance, from Ryerson University, as Valedictorian. Since graduating, she has crossed the line between classical dance genres and the commercial industry, choreographing for theatre productions (SeXT: Sex Education by Theatre; Mixie and the Halfbreeds, produced by fu-GEN Theatre Company) and independent dance projects and commissions. Select performance credits include the Much Music Video Awards, the Toronto Raptors’ Dance Pak, The Umbrella Academy, Sogand, PSY, and the NBA All Star Weekend 2016. Currently, Lam works as a freelance dancer, choreographer, adjudicator, and educator. She is also the co-founder of OAYSIS Studios: holistic movement lifestyle, offering online classes in dance, yoga, fitness, and mindful movement.

Miquelon Rodriguez is a sound designer, editor, and mixer; music composer; digital content creator; actor; and an emerging arts leader based in Toronto. He was the Apprentice Artistic Director at Factory Theatre from 2017- 2019, under the mentorship of Nina Lee Aquino, and co-curated Pan-Asian works over two seasons at Soulpepper Theatre Company. He is currently an Artistic Leadership Resident with the National Theatre School of Canada and has worked as a sound designer/composer with a multitude of artists and companies in different provinces across Turtle Island.

Co-Organizers: Toronto Catholic District School Board; Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; York University; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists' Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society; Fête Chinoise
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

Sunday May 23, 2021 | 2 PM EDT
Asian Heritage Month Virtual Concert
Artistic Directors: Professor Chan Ka Nin, Alice Ping Yee Ho Opening Remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI

FREE ADMISSION: Please register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/virtual-annual-asian-heritage-month-concert-tickets-152283033653
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88676411783?pwd=WDVIb3RLbmhWMDBYMzRCTHNKTEdOQT09
Meeting ID: 886 7641 1783
Passcode: 876869
Video of the Virtual Concert
Event Poster

Opening Remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI

Asian Heritage Month Revitalization Concert
Asian Heritage Month Concert returns with a virtual concert on May 23, Sunday, at 2 pm. Asian artists from Canada, China, India, Japan, Korea, and Philippine will showcase their artistry in a 60 minute-presentation. Heartfelt thanks to the many diverse and talented performers, many of whom are participating for the first time with us: percussionist Bobby Ho, soprano Stephanie Nakagawa, violinist Sharon Lee, tenor Shirshendu Mukherjee, and mezzo soprano Renee Michaela Fajardo. Featured ensembles include the Korean Canadian Symphony Orchestra, Taoyuan Chinese Orchestra, Spire Fusion Band, and Toronto Chinese Orchestra, who will present liuqin virtuoso Felix Yeung with a concerto by Xijin Liu. This year we have introduced a special segment called Pandemic Reflections in which artists share with our audience their personal experience during this global epidemic. Contribution by Photographer Tam Kam Chiu, poet Lien Chao, painter Irene Hung, and students from Toronto Catholic District School Board, will add an extra finesse to this concert's musical palette. Hope the spirit of this concert imbues us with new life and vitality.

Chan Ka Nin, Alice Ping Yee Ho
Co-Artistic Directors
Asian Heritage Month Concert

Program
Co-Artistic Directors: Chan Ka Nin, Alice Ping Yee Ho
* Poetry by Lien Chao photographies by Tam Kam Chiu ; and paintings by Irene Hung and from Toronto Catholic District School Board

I. Flying on a Drum (⿎上⻜舞), a paigu solo
Bobby Ho, 何松聲 , Percussion

Pandemic Reflection 1: Amely Zhou

II. Charm of Manchu -- IV movement: Dance of Fire by Xijin Liu
Felix Yeung, liuqin
Toronto Chinese Orchestra, Chih-Sheng Chen, conductor

III. An Aria and Two Japanese Folk Songs
I Need You Guillaume by Victor Davies
Furusato Narayama
Stephanie Nakagawa , Soprano

IV. Bluebird, a Korean Folk Song
Korean Canadian Symphony Orchestra
Sharon Lee , conductor

Piazzolla Spring

Toronto Concert Orchestra
Sharon Lee, violin

Pandemic Reflection 2: Photos by Tam Kam Chiu
Music by Chan Ka Nin

V. Rising Warrior
Amely Zhou 周嘉麗 (⼆胡) Erhu
Wendy Zhou 周晚濛 (琵琶) Pipa
Ken Yang 杨晓赓 (鋼琴) Piano/Keyboard
Jaimie Chan 陳祖慧 (⼤提琴)Cello
Perry Ho 何柏蔚 (⼩提琴) Violin
William Tran 陳家俊 (架⼦⿎) Drum Set
Lipeng Wu 吴⽴鹏 (笛⼦) Dizi

VI. Khamaj Thumri—Music from India
Shirshendu Mukherjee , tenor
Ravi Naimpally, tabla

Pandemic Reflection 3: Poem by Lien Chao
Paintings by Irene Hung and students from Toronto Catholic District School Board
Music by Alice Ping Yee Ho

VII. ‘Noli me Tangere’, an opera by Felipe Padilla de Leon
‘Dandansoy’, a Visayan folk song arr. by Lucrecia Kasilag
Renee Michaela Fajardo , mezzo-soprano

VIII. Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger (⿓騰⻁躍), a drum concerto by Minxiong Li.
Bobby Ho, 何松聲, Percussion,
Taoyuan Chinese Orchestra
Conductor: Chih-Sheng Chen

About the Artists

Chan Ka Nin, Artistic Director, composer
Twice winner of Juno Awards for Best Classical Composition, composer CHAN Ka Nin's works have been performed by ensembles and artists such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Orchestra, CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Esprit Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra London Canada, Symphony Nova Scotia, Amici, Miro  Quartet, Purcell Quartet, Rivka Golani and Lawrence Cherney. His numerous international awards include Béla Bartók International Composers' Competition, Barlow International Competitions, International Horn Society Composition Contest, Jean Chalmers Award, PROCAN Young Composers' Competition and Amherst Saxophone Quartet Composition Competition. Chan was born in Hong Kong and moved with his family to Vancouver in 1965. At the University of British Columbia he studied composition with Jean Coulthard while pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering. After graduation he decided to continue studying composition with Bernhard Heiden at Indiana University where he eventually obtained his Master's and Doctoral degrees in music. Since 1982, he has been teaching theory and composition at the University of Toronto.
Characteristically luminous in texture and exotic in instrumental colors, Chan's music has been described by critics as "sensuous," "haunting," and "intricate." The composer often draws his inspiration directly from his personal experiences: for example, the birth of one of his daughters, the death of his father, his spiritual quests, or his connection to nature and concern for the environment. In 2001, his opera Iron Road, written with librettist Mark Brownell, won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Musical. In 2002, his chamber work Par- çi, par-la , which was recorded by Ensemble Contemporain du Montréal, has won the Juno Award for Best classical composition. In 2017, The Toronto Symphony Orchestra recorded the composer’s My Most Beautiful, Wonderful, Terrific, Amazing, Fantastic, Magnificent Homeland on their CD Canada Mosaic SESQUIES. In 2018, the Dragon’s Tale was awarded the Kathleen McMorrow Award, which recognizes the presentation of contemporary classical music by Ontario composers. His new composition Viral, for four acoustic guitars and six electric guitars has been accepted for inclusion at The 21st Century Guitar in Lisbon, Portugal in 2021. In the same year, his Moods of Couchiching will be premiered by the AsianArt Ensemble in Berlin, Germany. Currently he is working with librettist Mark Brownell on his second full length opera Dragon’s Tale.

Renee Fajardo, Mezzo Soprano
Born and raised in Manila, Filipino Mezzo-soprano Renee Fajardo has performed on both the opera stage and as a solo recitalist in the Philippines, the UK, Europe and Canada.
Her operatic roles include Popova in The Bear (U of T Opera), Donna Anna in Don Jo (Grimeborn Opera Festival), Public Opinion in Orpheus in the Underworld (Guildhall School of Music and Drama), The Assistant in The Tsar wants his Photo Taken (UCL Performance Lab) and Fanny Price in the Canadian premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park (U of T Opera).
Winner of the Metcalf Performing Arts Grant, Renee currently works as Producing Intern at Against the Grain Theatre, furthering her commitment to building a more equitable, diverse and justice-facing industry for all historically-underrepresented identities in opera.
Equally passionate about performance and off-stage creative practice, Renee sings with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, and is a mentor and provincial coordinator for independent Opera education collective, Opera InReach. She also volunteers as an Institutional Giving intern with Boulanger Initiative, working on funding opportunities to support and advocate for works composed by women and marginalized gender composers. As a settler of Filipino heritage, she is grateful to be currently based in T’karonto (Toronto), the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples; currently home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
Renee recently completed her Masters in Opera Performance from the University of Toronto, and holds a first-class Bachelor of Music degree from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Alice Ping Yee Ho, Director, composer
Alice Ho is an acclaimed Hong Kong-born Canadian composer. She has received numerous national and international awards including the 2019 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize, 2016 Louis Applebaum Composers Award, K.M. Hunter Artist Award, top prizes at 2014 Prince Edward Island Symphony Composers Competition and Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Friendship Orchestral Composition Competition, 2013 Dora Mavor Moore Award (“Outstanding Original Opera” for her opera “Lesson of Da Ji “), 2013 Boston Metro Opera International Composition Competition , and Luxembourg Sinfonietta International Composition Prize. Her works have been performed by many major ensembles including the Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Victoria, Hamilton, and Windsor Symphonies; the Finnish Lapland Chamber Orchestra, China National Symphony, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Polish Radio Choir, Estonia’s Ellerhein Girls Choir, Luxembourg Sinfonietta, and Amsterdam’s Nieuw Ensemble. A twice JUNO Award Nominee (2015 and 2018), she has an impressive discography released on the Centrediscs, Naxos, Marquis Classics, Blue Griffin, Electra, Leaf Music, and Phoenix labels. She has six solo discs devoted to music written for different genres, including two recent releases of her children’s opera "The Monkiest King" with the Canadian Children's Opera Company on Centrediscs, and “Venom of Love” (electronic ballet music) on Leaf Music. She is currently commissioned by City Opera Vancouver on a new opera Chinatown with librettist Madeleine Thien opening September 2022 at the Vancouver Playhouse. A noted classical pianist, she had performed in many new music festivals, including a solo piano recital recorded by CBC Radio 2 in which she premiered Tan Dun’s solo piano work “Traces II”.
Alice Ho’s website: https://www.alicepyho.com/

Bobby Ho, Percussionist
Bobby was first introduced to the drum kit in 2002, and eventually became obsessed with drumming when he began forming his own bands and participating in extra-curricular music ensembles. Since then he decided to supplement his musical horizon by composing and arranging music for percussion ensembles, orchestras, choirs, symphonic bands, and his personal rock bands. Although he has been attending Chinese music concerts since he was a child, Bobby did not become actively involved in Chinese music until 2012. That year he joined the Apex Martial Arts Academy in Toronto to learn wushu and sanshou, not knowing that this is where his journey as a Chinese percussionist would begin. The martial arts school had a drumming ensemble called the Apex Drumming Team, a group of youth that specialized in lion dance drumming.
After witnessing the ferocity of the drumming team through shared community performances with the Toronto Chinese Orchestra (TCO) Bobby was invited to join the TCO not as a performer, but as a composer. He debuted his first composition for Chinese drums, Legend of Jade Dragon, in 2013 with the TCO percussion ensemble. Since then, he has been performing with the TCO and has been appointed the section principal for their percussion section. He has arranged collaborations between the TCO and the Apex Drumming Team to perform his second composition, Wild Game, and renowned Chinese percussion songs, such as Flying Dragon Leaping Tiger and Emperor Qin Musters Army. Bobby was invited to Taiwan as a soloist to collaborate with the Taoyuan Chinese Orchestra in the 30th Taoyuan Chinese Music Festival in the summer of 2018, and has also collaborated with Bobby has also collaborated with the Edmonton Chinese Orchestra, Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra, and Xian-Se Gong Chinese Orchestra.
Despite his love for music, Bobby earned his master’s degree in Professional Education, specializing in Applied Behaviour Analysis. In addition to teaching and performing drums part-time, Bobby is the founder and Clinical Director of Apex Educational Consulting Services Inc. (www.apexed.ca), which offers behaviour therapy for individuals diagnosed with autism and various developmental delays.

Sharon Lee, violinist, Director
Aptly pegged “a compact fireball” (La Scena Musicale), violinist Sharon Lee gave her concerto debut at the age of ten with the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra (Wisconsin). Sharon was appointed Music Director of the Korean-Canadian Symphony Orchestra in 2019, and was appointed Co-Artistic Director of the Toronto Concert Orchestra in the following year, having served as Concertmaster for the TCO under the late Maestro Kerry Stratton since 2014. Sharon is also founder and Artistic Director of the Toronto Chamber Players, and is a YAMAHA Canada Artist and D’Addario Canada Artist as member of Dévah Quartet.
Sharon can be frequently found appearing as guest concertmaster with ensembles including Toronto Beach Chorale, PAX Christi, Mississauga Choral Society, Sneak Peek Orchestra, Sudbury Symphony, and Canzona Chamber Orchestra. Sharon has dedicated a part of her career to participating in the creation of new music, and has performed more than one hundred world premieres. In addition, Sharon is an active session artist, performing live and in studio for film and television soundtracks and leading artists such as Barbra Streisand, Peter Gabriel, and The Tenors. In the months before COVID, Sharon served as Concertmaster for local tours for Josh Groban and Michael Buble.
Sharon’s cumulative educational efforts include providing private lessons at University of Toronto Schools, violin facilitator at Axis Music, violinist and coach with the Toronto District School Board /Continuum New Music project, and as clinician at the Ontario String Association, and the Ontario Music Educators Association. With Dévah Quartet, Sharon frequently works with high-school students to help bridge the gap between classical music and other genres. Also an experienced Adjudicator, Sharon recently served as Adjudicator for the Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo Kiwanis Music Festivals.
Invited to join the studio of the late Professor Lorand Fenyves at age 16, Sharon performed at the Lorand Fenyves Memorial Concert as his final pupil at the University of Toronto. Sharon also studied with the late professor Ik-Hwan Bae at Indiana University, where she was awarded the Dean’s Scholarship. Sharon is a recipient of the Lorand Fenyves String Scholarship, the Felix Galimir Chamber Music Award, and the Ontario Arts Council's Orford String Quartet Award.
Korean Canadian Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1987, the Korean Canadian Symphony Orchestra is deeply embedded in the fabric of Korean immigrant history here in Canada. A bridge between Korean and Canadian musicians for over 30 years, former members of the KCSO hold prominent musical positions across the globe. The KCSO creates a place for professionally trained musicians to continue creating music in a new environment, and an opportunity for newly arrived professional Korean musicians to perform alongside Canadian musicians in a welcoming setting.

Toronto Concert Orchestra
Toronto Concert Orchestra is Toronto's premier professional entertainment orchestra, dedicated to creating quality music with an emphasis on social responsibility. TCO's summer concert series 'Symphony in the Gardens' sold out six seasons, drawing audiences of up to 1,800 people per event. During the year, TCO can be found presenting uniquely curated programs to their loyal Toronto audience, as well as touring in the Southern Ontario region, sharing quality live professional music with our many smaller neighbouring communities. TCO is a fluid ensemble that values collaborative efforts and that adapts in numbers as the project requires. TCO pulls from a Southern Ontario based pool of roughly 200 carefully selected musicians.

Shirshendu Mukherjee, Indian Classical Vocalist
Born in a family of music connoisseurs, Shirshendu Mukherjee was inducted into music at the tender age of 3 under the tutelage of Smt.Chandana Chakrabarty. Later on, he joined ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata as a Scholar and received extensive training from Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, the doyen of Patiala Gharana.
Shirshendu started performing at the age of 14 by rendering at the Annual Classical Music Programme organized by Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata when he shared the dais with the giants of Indian Classical Music viz. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Ustad Zakir Hussain. He has been a regular performer in various major conferences in India as well as in Europe, wherein he has been highly appreciated by the connoisseurs of Indian Classical Music. With the mission and vision of spreading Indian Classical Vocal Music through performance, education and research, he has migrated to Toronto, Canada where he is co-founder of the Riyaz Institute of Hindustani Music, a school of music providing traditional knowledge to a modern world. Within a short period of time he has performed at various venues and has gathered accolades from the music lovers of Canada.

Ravi Naimpally, Tabla player
Ravi Naimpally began his study of tabla in Mumbai with his uncle Pandit Nikhil Ghosh. For the past twenty years Ravi has been fortunate to receive guidance from the legendary Pandit Anindo Chatterjee. He is a member of the faculty of music at York University and Humber College and is co-founder of the Riyaz Institute of Hindustani Music.

Dr. Stephanie Nakagawa, Soprano
Soprano, Dr. Stephanie Nakagawa, has a great passion for Canadian opera. Her outstanding contribution to the field and her publication, A Canadian Opera Aria Anthology for Soprano has been recognized by the Canadian Music Centre with the Barbara Pentland Award of Excellence. Stephanie completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Voice and Opera from the University of British Columbia, where she was also awarded the UBC Public Scholars Award, UBC Wesbrook Scholar, Johann Strauss Foundation Scholarship, UBC Medal, Canada Millennium Scholarship, and the BMO National Scholarship. In addition, Stephanie holds a Master’s degree from Indiana University, a Bachelor of Music in Opera from UBC, and ARCT Performance Diplomas in both piano and voice. She was also awarded the Voice National Gold Medal from the Royal Conservatory of Music.
An active performer and recitalist, Stephanie has performed with various ensembles including the Aspen Music Festival, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Bard on the Beach, Westcoast Symphony, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, Prince George Symphony, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Gerdine Young Artist, Indiana University Opera Theatre, Oberlin in Italy, Pacific Opera Victoria Lunchbox Series, and the Canadian Music Centre. Her stage credits include Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Vixen (The Cunning Little Vixen), Gretel (Hansel & Gretel), Adele (Die Fledermaus), Amy (Little Women), Musetta (La Bohème), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), and Miss Wordsworth (Albert Herring). Stephanie's other accolades include the regional winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, first place at the BC Provincial Festival of the Performing Arts, BC Arts Council Award, and Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques Laureate.
In addition to performing, Stephanie loves to work with young aspiring singers and is the music director and conductor of the Vancouver women’s chamber choir, Coro Cantare.

Spire Fusion Ensemble
Established in 2010, Spire was formed with the vision of creating fusion between Eastern and Western genres of music. Spire uses Eastern and Western musical instruments to perform a variety of music ranging from traditional to modern pop music.
Over the past years, Spire has grown to become an extremely well-received group in Toronto. Since its establishment, Spire has been featured as guest artists with the Toronto Chinese Orchestra’s annual concerts, performed live on Canadian National Media Network – WOWtv, and has been featured in several of Toronto’s largest summer events, including “Night it Up!”, “T&T Supermarket’s Waterfront Night Market”, “Richmond Hill Summer Carnival”, and at the “Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) International Stage”.
Spire has received high acclaim from audiences for its unique musical style and arrangement of music. They have reached milestones of holding their own concerts, to sold-out audiences at the Toronto Chinese Modern Art Academy, and a standing ovation performance at the University of Toronto Chinese New Year Concert in support of UNICEF Canada. Most recently, Spire has also been featured as one of the top 6 finalists at a large North America Asian Pacific Showcase – ‘Kollaboration Toronto’ and has been featured at a number of corporate and charity events including TD Bank, Sick Kids Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society, ROM’s Friday Night Live!, and many more! Spire continues to musically inspire its audience bridging the East with the West.


Toronto Chinese Orchestra
Toronto Chinese Orchestra (TCO) is the largest Chinese orchestra in Ontario and the longest running in Canada. Our purpose is to promote and develop an appreciation of Chinese orchestral music and culture amongst Canadians. The TCO family consists of our 2 training orchestras (Youth and Community), our main orchestra, and the professional Chamber Players. For more information, please visit www.TorontoChineseOrchestra.com .

Co-Organizers: Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; York University; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists' Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society; Fête Chinoise
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

Wednesday May 26, 2021 | 7 PM EDT
Asian Heritage Month Events at Toronto Public Library: "Once Upon a Time in Chinatown"
Presenter: Professor Chef Leo Chan Opening Remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI

FREE ADMISSION: Please register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/once-upon-a-time-in-chinatown-by-professor-chef-leo-chan-at-tpl-platform-tickets-154239577729 and access event at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/tplleochan/register
Event Poster with bios

Opening remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI
Mr. Gregory McCormick, Toronto Public Library

Toronto not only has some of the most diverse cultures and food in the world, its Chinese community itself is one of the most diverse outside of China, representing many dialects and regions of Mainland China , each with their own distinct approach to cuisine. In this special Asian Heritage Month presentation, celebrated Chef and Professor, Leo Chan, will tell the story of how Chinese food in Toronto became so complex and varied. Starting with Sing Tom's Cafe (founded: 1901), Toronto's first Chinese eatery at the intersection of Bay and Queen to the change in tastes and fashion in favour of smaller diners and Chop Suey houses with limited seating. Finally to the “First Golden Era” when the opening of Nanking in 1947 and Lichee Garden in 1948 changed the profile of Chinese restaurants and was the turning point in the history of Chinese dining. They were the first two of the 'Big Four' upscale restaurants. The other two were Sai Woo opened in 1953 and Kwong Chow in 1959. This period revolutionized Chinese cuisine in Canada.
Dedicated to the thousands of ordinary men and women working in the food industry in Toronto, Professor Chan walks us through the history of Chinese influence on key parts of Canada’s largest city when regional cuisines of China became more readily accessible, available and mainstream.

About this event’s guest: Leo Chan

Co-Organizers: Toronto Public Library; Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; York University; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists' Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society; Fête Chinoise
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

Saturday May 29, 2021 | 2 PM EDT
Asian Heritage Month Film Festival held in collaboration with Reelworld Film Festival
Feature film: The Greatest Country in the World, directed by Ky Nam Le Duc
followed by a Q & A with the director, Ky Nam Le Duc, moderated by Pahull Bains, Marketing and Outreach Manager, Reelworld Film Festival
Opening Remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI

As this is a feature film screening, the event is geo-blocked to Ontario, Canada. Anyone outside of the province will not be able to join the event.
FREE ADMISSION. Please register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/film-screening-qa-with-the-directorthe-greatest-country-in-the-world-tickets-155852664515 AND
Obtain online tickets from Reelworld Film Festival's Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/reelworld-celebrates-asian-heritage-month-film-festival-tickets-154468480383
On the event date, the online ticket holder will receive a link plus a unique code to access the film online.

Event Poster with bios

Programme Notes by Marina Hanna:

This is an immigrant story for our time. In the depths of winter, in a not-so-distant future, a far-right government is elected and a province closes its borders; the safety and livelihood of refugees and non-status immigrants are left hanging in the balance. A Haitian woman working as a housekeeper leaves her young son, Junior, with her thirty-something-year-old employer before disappearing without a trace. Now, with help from his former father-in-law, a former Vietnamese refugee, this de facto family unit attempts to solve the mystery of where Junior’s mother fled.

The harsh winter landscape echoes the struggle of the trio who are trying to ensure that Junior will not be left behind. The film’s title suggests a duality: love versus nationalism. For Junior, both are true to his experience: the struggle to stay in the place he knows as home and the threat of being deported from it.

Director: Ky Nam Le Duc
A second-generation immigrant, Montreal-based director Ky Nam Le Duc makes films about people who exist between places.

Co-Organizers: Reelworld Film Festival; Toronto Public Library; Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; York University; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists' Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society; Fête Chinoise

Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

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Sunday May 30, 2021 | 2 PM EDT
The Energy of Stillness: A Multimedia Virtual Presentation of Taiji Brushwork, Painting, Video, Poetry, and Meditation
Artists:
Henry Ho: Award-winning visual artist, Taiji calligrapher, videographer, and digital editor
Lien Chao: Award-winning author, writer, bilingual poet, and inter-art artist
Ashley Poy: Meditative artist, performer and emerging poet
Opening Remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI

FREE ADMISSION: Please register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-energy-of-stillness-tickets-156558618041
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82886506485?pwd=ZHFFWHB6TzFodVNHc21qREo0bHowZz09
Meeting ID: 828 8650 6485
Passcode: 814618
Event Poster with bios

“The Energy of Stillness” is a multimedia and inter-media virtual presentation created and presented by Henry Ho, Lien Chao and Ashley Poy alongside each individual’s personal and their joint spiritual and artistic pursuits in the past five years.
Guided by ancient Chinese wisdom, the artists explore the cosmological state of supreme ultimate of Taiji, conceptually and artistically, from various angles. Through meditation, the mysterious relationship between energy and stillness; through Tai Chi horses, emotional psyche, brushstrokes, and special metaphysical artistic expression derived from natural phenomena.
The 40-minute presentation will be delivered within rhythmic, meditative cadence to engage the audience with spiritual energy; the variety of visual images, the alternate male and female poetic voices, and four short videos of Henry’s live performances in the past—will illustrate the inter-connected spiritual and artistic journey taken by the artists. There will be a special treat for the virtual audience on May 30. Henry will perform Taichi pushing hands in front of the ZOOM camera for you.
There will be Q&A for the audience to make your comments and ask questions.

Co-Organizers: Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; York University; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists' Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society; Fête Chinoise
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

Tuesday September 21, 2021 | 7 PM EDT
Asian Heritage Month Events at Toronto Public Library: "Moon Festival: Embrace the Sound and Taste of Home"
Presenters: Professor Chef Leo Chan and Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco
Opening Remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI

FREE ADMISSION: Please register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/leo-chan-sandra-racco-moon-festival-embrace-the-sound-taste-of-home-tickets-168358002317 and access event at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/tplmoonfestival-2/register
Event Poster with bios

Opening remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI
Mr. Gregory McCormick, Toronto Public Library

Professor Chef Leo Chan will be in conversation with Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco. The talk is organized by The Asian Heritage Month Festival and the Toronto Public Library.

Holidays and festivals are great events in the lives of people from every culture, beginning right from their childhood. Elements common to most traditional Chinese festivals are the desire for happiness and well-being, the protection of loved ones from misfortunes, the experience of oneness between humans and heaven, and most importantly, family reunion, the opportunity for rest and merriment.

According to the lunar calendar, in the fall, it is usually clear and cool, and there are seldom wandering clouds in the sky. The moon is particularly bright at night. The full moon is a symbol of reunion. The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is also called the Reunion Festival. It is closest to the North American Thanksgiving Day, and the concept of harvest after a long summer of hard work in the field.

There have been a lot of fascinations about the moon. Countless poets, writers, musicians and artists have inspired numerous songs, stories and operas to celebrate this happy festival. The moon cakes and other traditional food as round as the full moon, symbolize the completeness and togetherness of the family. Bright and round lanterns are hung from ceiling and balconies.

Leo and Sandra will share the stories, joy and traditions of the Moon Festival with the zoom audience. The talk embraces the sound and taste of home through this celebration.

Professor Chef Leo Chan

Born in Macau and raised in Hong Kong, Leo Chan came to Canada in 1966. Professor Chef Chan was educated at York, Ryerson and Cornell Universities. He taught at George Brown and Humber Colleges, and held senior management positions in hotel and restaurant chains in Canada and the U.S. He is a member of the 8 Precious Pearls Research Group of Chinese food history in Toronto, Co-Founder of the Cambridge Food and Wine Society of Canada, and currently the Chairman of the Chan Family Association of Ontario.
Bio of Professor Chef Leo Chan

Ward 4 Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco

Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco was first elected in 2003 and is currently the longest serving Asian female politician in the City of Vaughan and York Region. Now into her fifth term on Vaughan Council, she continues to be a driving force in bringing vital services to her constituents. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Ontario, Sandra obtained her A.R.C.T. at the Royal Conservatory of Music and graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. Following graduation, the Councillor ventured into the world of international business relations, complimented with extensive volunteer work with local non-profit and diverse community organizations.
Website: 4mycommunity.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/raccoscommunityforum
Twitter: @4mycommunity
Instagram: @councilloryeungracco

Co-Organizers: Toronto Public Library; Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; York University; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists' Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society; Fête Chinoise
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

May 2021
Asian Canadian Art Workshops at School Boards
Led by Dr. Lien Chao and Irene Hung
FREE ADMISSION: For Schools Only

Ongoing
Title of Presentation: "Positive Thinking" video with seniors
Activities in collaboration with Social Services Network

FREE ADMISSION on Social Services Network Virtual Platform

The video was integrated into Social Services Network’s relaxation and mindfulness activities, including virtual programs that was supporting up to 70 seniors daily.

Co-Organizers: Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; York University; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists' Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society; Fête Chinoise
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

List of Supporters of Asian Heritage Month

Main Partner: Toronto Public Library

Canada 150 Activities showcasing the works from the school workshops are sponsored by Canadian Heritage Canada 150 Fund and York University Canada 150 Fund

Canadian Heritage Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program
Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto
Cambridge Food and Wine Society
Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture
Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, University of Toronto
Chi Ping Dance Group
Chinese Canadian Photographic Association of Toronto
Chinese Collective Arts Association
City of Toronto
Fête Chinoise
Justin Poy Agency
Moon Pointer Production Inc.
Reel Asian Film Festival
ReelWorld Film Festival
Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library
Toronto Arts Council Toronto Catholic District School Board
Toronto District School Board
Toronto Public Library
WE Artists Association
York Centre for Asian Research, York University
York Centre for Education and Community, York University
York Region District School Board

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